It was Jack-in-the-Box who did it--her chum and playmate,
Jack-in-the-Box, who had seen the wonderful change with great sorrow,
and who first heard her cry for her childhood. With one bound he
reached the Wishing Post, and presto!--she was a little girl again.
Oh, how good it seemed! She felt so much at home. Her clothes just
suited her, she knew Santa Claus, she liked Billy, she loved her
playmate, Kokomo--oh, she was so happy, so happy.
“It’s awful being grown up,” she sobbed, clinging to Billy. “I’ll want
years and years to even get used to thinking about it.”
“You’ll have years and years,” replied Santa Claus drily, and they all
sat down to talk it over.
None of them saw the White Lady steal into the Square. None of them saw
her approach the Wishing Post and make a wish. But she did. “I wish,”
she said softly--and a beautiful light shone from her eyes, “I wish to
be as warm as he who sought me from the South.” So, of course, she had
her wish, and joined the others to tell them of her good fortune.
While they were discussing this, the Disconsolate Lover ran across the
Square, and--well you can _never_ guess the wish _he_ made. “I wish,”
said he--“to be as cold and icy as she I came North to seek.”
So when the White Lady saw him and took his hand she nearly froze to
death--for they two had simply changed places. They were as badly off
as ever, and not another wish to be had during the year. So the White
Lady sat and wept, and the Disconsolate Lover comforted her as well as
he could--from a distance.
Now the Queen Aurora Borealis had been going about the Square in a
fearfully bad temper, working the red light overtime and scolding her
minions because the Man with the Growly Voice got away. But as she grew
calmer she recollected her errand to the Wishing Post. She meant to
wish for her beauty. Just as she drew near the Post, however, she saw
Kankakee with his arm around little Kokomo, about to make a wish.
“I shall go back to my own people,” he said. “I wish”--but Aurora was
too quick for him.
“I wish you not to have your wish,” she snapped. So, of course, he
didn’t, and there he stood with poor little Kokomo, both of them
looking very foolish.
“Thought you’d get away, eh?” sneered Aurora. “Thought you’d escape.
Well, I’m not done with you yet, my gay and festive Eskimo Chief, and
I will attend to _your_ case after I have recovered my beauty, which I
will now proceed to do. I wish--to have all my beauty back.”
Then she smirked at the minions and said, “Has it happened?” The
expression on their faces told her it had not, and a glance at the
mirror which she still carried assured her of it.
“What’s the matter with this thing?” she shouted angrily pointing at
the Wishing Post.
“Only one wish during each year, your Majesty,” timidly replied a
minion, kneeling at her feet.
My goodness, _how_ she raged!--and _how_ the red light played! Suddenly
her eye lit on Maida and a new idea came to her. “That child is a
witch!” she screamed. “She has stolen my beauty. If she does not return
it, I’ll have her condemned to the Icebergs for life.” (That is just
the same as prison for life down here.) “Give me back my angel face,”
she howled; “give me back my willowy form.”
Maida shrank away in terror, and Kokomo approached the Queen to try and
pacify her. But as soon as Aurora saw Kokomo (and Kokomo was really
pretty you know) she screamed, “You’ve got some of my beauty, too! I’ll
have you fed to the Walrus ‘à la Newburg.’”
[Illustration: They laughed and laughed]
At this dreadful threat Kokomo began to whimper while the minions
started to laugh at her distress. The more she grieved the louder they
laughed; and Aurora looked so funny and so odd, that despite their
anxiety for Kokomo, and their fear about their own plight, all Maida’s
friends, and Maida, too, began to laugh at the Queen.
Kokomo, meanwhile, grew very angry. “I wish you would all laugh and
laugh and never stop,” she said. Then they couldn’t stop laughing--any
of them--because it was a wish. They just _laughed_ and _laughed_ and
_laughed_.
“I’ll have you _all_ fed to the Walrus,” threatened Aurora between her
gasps for breath.
“I shall never see my home again,” laughed Kankakee.
“I think she’ll have us all killed,” giggled Billy, while the White
Lady tittered, “Good-bye forever,” to the Disconsolate Lover.
No matter what they said or how they felt--whether angry or sorry or
afraid--they just had to laugh.
* * * * *
Suddenly a great bell tolled on the top of a tower nearby, and an old
man appeared who shouted in a sing-song voice: “_It is now the New
Year. Every one is entitled to one wish._”
Maida started. The New Year! She could have one wish.
Everybody was rushing toward the Wishing Post, but she was nearest, and
she reached it first.
“I wish everything was just as it used to be and I was at home,” she
cried.
* * * * *
And she was!
Appendix
Some exceedingly cynical and incredulous people have cast doubt on the
truth of Maida’s story. One of them actually said she slept and dreamed
it all. The idea!
That very day the Man with the Growly Voice came to see Aunt Mary,
and when Maida met him she asked him how he got back. He didn’t just
recollect for a moment, but when she reminded him, he remembered
everything that happened while they were away together.
So _there_ now!
Besides, Aunt Mary took Maida--not so long after that--to a great big
house, like one of the Illusian palaces, where there were wonderful
lights and a band which played beautiful music; then a big picture
rolled up and there was the Toy Shop, and Santa Claus, and Billy; yes,
and Jack-in-the-Box and the Candy Kid, too--even the Bear--all of them.
So she knows it was all true. So do you. _Don’t_ you?
[Illustration]
Transcriber’s Note:
Capitalisation in several instances of “man with the growly voice”
was changed to “Man with the Growley Voice”, see pages 10, 27, 31,
and 35. The following changes were also made:
Page 22
“Yes,” So that was settled _changed to_
“Yes.” So that was settled
Page 24
or turn over over and over _changed to_
or turn over and over
Page 31
“just here.” If we weren’t here _changed to_
“just here. If we weren’t here
Page 51
replied Jack-in-the-Box, that’s my _changed to_
replied Jack-in-the-Box, “that’s my
Page 96
a tree----(Now do you know it _is_ rather _changed to_
a tree----”(Now do you know it _is_ rather
Page 116
“Spring has came,” he said _changed to_
“Spring has come,” he said
Page 119
The starboard wing is smashed _changed to_
“The starboard wing is smashed
Page 149
The most wonderful toy you ever saw _changed to_
“The most wonderful toy you ever saw
Page 170
thought Maida, slying peering about _changed to_
thought Maida, slyly peering about
Page 171
and acts diferent, and her voice _changed to_
and acts different, and her voice
Page 176
You needn’t shake it too much. He paused _changed to_
You needn’t shake it too much.” He paused